As an expat in South Korea, the lifestyle is new and especially the unknown world must be very scary and many of us are wondering where can we live while staying in this country. Questions like how much I will pay or how I will manage to rent an apartment if I do not know Korean many ask themselves just before they arrive in Korea. But we are here for you to help and especially to explain all the options you have, in order to make the best decision. After all, finding a place to live comfortably is the most important step for a successful adaptation to an unknown country.
Below you have a list of places that you can rent or choose as your option during your time in Korea as an expat.
1. Apartments
Renting an apartment in Korea is quite different from any other country and quite complicated. The prices differ not only because of the area, floor, layout, or utilities but also due to the deposit (보증금) you offer to the owner.
Deposit (보증금)
So, in Korea, you have to pay a deposit, or some kind of guarantee when you rent an apartment that you will receive back when you move out. And this can be different in many ways, but in the first place let's talk about what this deposit means and what it is used for. Usually, landlords use this guarantee if the rent is not paid on time or if the tenant violates the rules of the contract for various reasons (moves before the contract expires-without bringing a replacement if you do not pay the bills if you do not pay the rent for several months if you bring animals into the house without notifying the owner or destroying the property).
But how to differentiate this deposit and why is it so important for Koreans?
There are owners who ask only one month in advance as a deposit, or there may be others that require up to $ 10,000 (the equivalent of a 10,000,000 KRW) or even more. You're probably wondering why so much, well, when the deposit increases, the rent decreases, reaching the possibility of no longer paying the rent every month (전세). But automatically when the deposit is small the rent is also relatively high.
An example would be, for KRW 2 million rent deposit the rent can reach up to KRW 800,000 for two
rooms or KRW 3 million deposit and KRW 450,000 rent per month for a single room (원룸). In addition to deposit (보증금) and monthly rent (월세) in Korea usually, utilities (관리비) (electricity, gas, water, internet) are paid separately, but there are a few cases where they are included in the rent (at the owner's choice) you should check this when you sign the contract.
You're probably wondering how, or where to rent rooms or apartments, or what other options if you do not have this amount of money?
First of all, Koreans and foreigners can turn to a real estate agency (부동산) for these services. If you call this type of agency, you need to know that their services are paid for. So, once you sign a contract you will have to pay a sum of money, both for the signing of the contract and for the services of the agency, which varies from company to company. Also, you can give the agency the details of the apartment you are looking for, such as the amount you are willing to pay per month and your preferred location. Sometimes you have to visit many more agencies to find one that benefits you, but this should not scare you because in Korea they are practically everywhere.
But why do Koreans choose these agencies if they are so expensive?
Because you can find exactly what you want, also not be deceived by the owner, and lastly to have the opportunity to claim your rights in case the owner violates the contract. At the same time, you can negotiate with both the agency and the owner much easier, and many of the agencies offer services in
English language or you can ask a friend to come with you.
If you no longer want to pay the agency fee, you can turn to other solutions. The best known is
Craig-list (however not totally recommended). This is a global site that offers many services including apartments for rent. They are usually posted directly by the owner, or by a third party.
Also common for strangers is Facebook, where you can find quite a few ads for apartments to rent. The advantage is English, the disadvantage may be the lack of an official contract.
Another way to search for an apartment would be Zigbang (직방) or Dabang (다방) applications, which you can download from the Google Play Store, and that can help you find valid apartments in
the area you want at the price you want. These applications have become a trend in Korea, and many real estate agencies use them to advertise their apartments.
*check our article about these apps*
But what you must not forget is that many landlords or agents do not rent apartments for less than a year, sometimes forcing you to rent even for 2 years, and if you insist on a contract for less than a year, or for 6 months, the rent can increase a lot.
2. Shared house
Another example would be renting a room in an apartment. Specifically, to share an apartment with other people (usually unknown). The advantage of this is that you can meet other people from other countries with different cultures, but at the same time it can be a disadvantage if those people are not used to living together and they may cause problems. Another advantage would be the fact that most of the time the rent and the deposit can be very small, the contract can be made for a period of less than one year, and most of the time the services are in English.
3. Gosiwon / Gositel / Hasukjip
Although I gave you some examples of apartments, there are people, like me, who were unable to pay a deposit or rent an apartment when they arrived in Korea, so I turned to the so-called Gosiwon (고시원), Gositel (고시텔) or Hasukjib (하숙집).
What are these?
The first two are pretty much the same, only the name is different. These buildings have rooms, which the owners rent monthly or annually. There are a lot of benefits to staying in such a place: the rent is very low, many of them do not require a deposit (not even a month in advance), offers free food (ramyeon, rice, and kimchi), and are often situated near schools or populated and central areas, and there is the possibility to use a washing machine and free detergent. But they also have many disadvantages. One of the most important would be the size of the rooms. The rooms are very small, usually looking a bit like a closet. They have a bed, a very small desk, an equally small closet, and a mini-fridge. Most of them also have a TV, but not all of them.
The second problem is that many of them do not have their own bathroom, or at least one toilet, which means they have to be shared with the rest of the residents. And some of the rooms do not have a window directly outside, but in a hallway, which does not allow ventilation. Also, the kitchen is shared and some of them do not allow you to cook anything that would exceed 15 minutes, so as not to occupy the kitchen just for you. And many of them do not allow you to bring visitors inside. In addition to the advantages already mentioned, it would be that there is no time to enter the building, like a dormitory, and you have 24/7 security, and many of them offer services in English and they have a specific day dedicated to cleaning. This is a start for anyone who is afraid of living alone or starting a life in a foreign country, away from family.
The last of the three, 하숙집 or the Korean house, in free translation, is to rent one room to a Korean family. In other words, you live with someone from Korea, most often an elderly person or an entire family. The benefits are similar to those above (a personal room, food, security, etc.), but sometimes it can be difficult to understand how Koreans think, especially the elderly. The advantage is that you can have a connection much closer to Korean culture and you can learn their habits more easily but also the language.
4. Officetell
Another example similar to those already mentioned above, only a little more expensive and modern would be the Officetells (오피스텔). This is a multi-purpose building with residential and commercial units. This is a type of studio apartment or studio flat.
An officetel is designed to be a partially self-contained building, such that its occupants can live and work in the same building, minimizing commute time. Because of the convenience of having daily routines located in one building, a significant proportion of the officetel's inhabitants include lawyers, accountants, tax accountants, professors, and artists. Office space is usually parceled out or leased to trading companies and small- to medium-sized businesses.
Officetel parcels are commonly 50 to 100 m² in size. Most officetel residential spaces are studio apartments with bathrooms, kitchens, and bed areas. Basic furnishings are usually included with an officetel lease. This is a modern way of living, a little bit more expensive and usually bigger than one room.
5. The student dormitory
If you come here with a scholarship, one option would be the dorms. In the dormitory, you usually share the room with at least one person, if not two or three. And in this country, the dorms are divided into floors or buildings for women and men. The room has a bed for everyone, a desk, mini-fridges and some have separate bathrooms, but not all. Most dorms in Korea have a return time, more precisely midnight. If you happen to be out after 12 o'clock, you must enter back after 5:00 am and you must fill in a form specifying that you will not be in the dormitory that evening, otherwise you will receive a penalty, and usually for more than 10 penalties you are kicked out of the dorm. And some of them have weekly or monthly room checks, for cleanliness and presence, but this is something different for every dormitory.
Another problem is that very rarely can you stay in the dorm for more than 2 or 3 semesters, and many of the universities require a GPA of over 4.0 so you can keep your bed. Not to mention that many dormitories are quite expensive for what they offer.
But because the location of the university is away from an apartment complex or even civilization (sometimes universities are near woods), it is more convenient to choose this alternative. People usually prefer to live in dorms because they think they can make friends easier, it's safer and you always have someone to help you. And of course, not to mention that you don't pay monthly expenses such as water, heat, electricity, and internet. But you can't cook in the room, the kitchen is shared, but not always equipped, and you can't have electronic devices in the room, but only at your own risk and only such (hairdryer, water heater, hair straightener, etc.). And the most important thing is that people who have a scholarship have priority at the dormitory.
6. Guesthouse
In Korea, there are these Guest Houses, which are not really a hotel or a motel, but look like those and are pretty good to use for a short period of time, in other countries being a bit similar to pensions. Much cheaper, sometimes it can also provide customers with food, and information related to tourism or culture. One very funny and interesting thing is that you can meet many new people and spend a few evenings of the week together playing board games or cooking, which helps you adjust a lot more easily to a foreign culture. These Guest Houses are much more expensive than any other options already mentioned and usually, payment is made in the hotel regime, few of them accepting a monthly amount. But the advantage is that it can offer students the opportunity of free accommodation in exchange for cleaning or reception services, and all usually offer services in at least two or three languages.
7. Airbnb
When it comes to accommodations in Seoul, South Korea, an Airbnb rental is a great option for travelers, since these homes typically come well-furnished and full of great amenities.
Airbnb in Korea gives you different options such as modern apartments, traditional Hanok, or places in the middle of the busiest streets. Since hotels may be way more expensive Airbnb is the perfect alternative if you want to have your own little place to live with your friends and family while in Korea.
GOOD TO KNOW!
- When you live in an apartment and you want to move, you have to notify the owner and the agency three months in advance (sometimes less depending on their agreement), and then one month in advance, otherwise you risk losing the deposit or staying in the same apartment for another three months.
- After the contract expires, if you want to continue living in the same apartment you do not have to renew the contract, since it is valid automatically, you just have to announce to the owner that you won't move out.
- When you change your home, you have 14 days to report the new address to immigration directly, online on HiKorea, or at the neighborhood center (주민 센터). If you don't report the new address within 14 days of the date written in the contract you risk paying a penalty (see our article about this topic).
- Some apartments do not have a washing machine inside but have a common one upstairs in a specific room.
- There is usually a small closet/room in the apartment buildings on each floor where the mail leaves special parcels, but most of the time the parcels will be left in front of the doors.
- When you live in the dorm, be nice to the doorman (경비실 아저씨), sometimes he can help you or overlook if you are late.
- When you live somewhere where you have a shared washing machine, put on a timer and go to
take out the laundry on time, otherwise, you risk having someone else take out your laundry the way they want, or it may remain inside for a second round, along with other clothes in the washing machine.
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